the Kettlebell Arm Bar

When folks are looking to improve their shoulder mobility AND / OR stability, one of the first exercises I recommend – in most cases – is the kettlebell arm bar.

It is great for:

– opening up the rib cage
– opening up the thorasic spine
– loosening up the pecs
– loosening up the fascial line between the pecs and the opposite hip
– keeping your shoulders feeling great!

HOW TO DO IT

1 – Start lying on the ground, with the KB at your side, at shoulder level, in what we call the “cradle” position. (Looks like you at the start of a Turkish get up)

2 – Pull the KB to the body, roll to the back, and extend the working arm to lock out. (Be sure to pack the shoulder back and down for stability!)

3 – Now, take the same leg as your working arm, and drive it over the top of your body. You’re going to drive that hip towards the ground, as well as bringing the working shoulder towards the ground.

Breath in and then exhale, driving the hip and shoulder towards the ground a little more each time. Do this three to five times progressively.

Incorporate the movement into your routine, and see the change you can create!

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist
ForestVance.com

PS – For increased shoulder mobility / stability, I also recommend you check this out:

http://forestvance.com/regenerate

REGENERATE is a simple recovery program, designed specifically for lifters and athletes.

It is a combination of yoga poses, static stretches, core exercises and more combined into simple sequences that take 3 to 6 minutes to do, that require no special equipment.

Not to mention, they will also help you reduce chronic pain, improve mobility / flexibility, and feel amazing!

Simple recovery for lifters and athletes:

http://forestvance.com/regenerate

Give the Gift of Fitness – FVT 14 Day Jump Start

Give the gift of fitness this year.

Get your family, friend, or co-worker a 14 Day Test Drive at FVT!

Here’s what’s included:

– 6 group training workouts over a 14 Day Period at FVT
– Our special Rapid Shred diet plan
– Weight, body comp assessment at beginning + end of program

It’s a great way to help your friend or family member get a jump start on their fitness goals in 2019.

Fill out the contact form below, and we’ll get you your gift certificate ASAP:

https://www.forestvancetraining.com/contact

Happy Holidays!

– Forest and the FVT Team

Shoulder Flexibility / Health Test (takes 30 seconds)

Flexible, mobile shoulders are KEY to performance, and a functional, pain-free life.

So today, I have a super simple shoulder flexibility test you can take.

This isn’t going to address every single thing, but it’s a good place to start, and it’s really easy to do.

THE TEST

Try to touch your hands together, reaching one hand over your shoulder, and the other hand up your back.

See the picture showing you how to do it below:

Here’s how you score:

EXCELLENT = fingers overlap
GOOD = fingers touch
AVERAGE = fingers are less than two inches apart
POOR = fingers are more than two inches apart

WHAT YOUR SCORE MEANS

Your results have real implications for your performance.

Specifically:

TOP ARM = shoulder flexion + tricep flexibility

If your TOP arm was tight, you are more likely to experience:

– Shoulder pain
– Rotator cuff issues
– Wrist / low back pain

BOTTOM ARM = shoulder extension + internal rotation

If your BOTTOM arm was tight, you are more likely to experience:

– Shoulder pain
– Shoulder impingement
– Shoulder instability / dislocation

WHAT TO DO NEXT

If you scored excellent – awesome job!

(Keep in mind – this test does NOT address strength and stability, which are also key components of healthy shoulders … but that’s another article for another day)

If you scored average or poor, this is something you need to work on.

Everyone is a little bit different, and ideally we’d be able to evaluate you more in person, and give you true individualized plan of attack.

But if you’re working on this on your own, and you really aren’t doing anything now to address it specifically, a great starting point is to contact us.

We can help you assess your issues and give you a plan of attack to fix them.

Get started with our 14 Day Test Drive HERE.

To your success! –

– Forest Vance
ForestVance.com

Burn 21 Calories Per Minute

According to research, this super-efficent workout burns up to 21 calories per minute.

That means a high-intensity, fast-paced 30 minute kettlebell swing session could burn more than 500 calories!

But a fair warning – proceed with caution.

Overdo it as a beginner, and you could get knocked on your you-know-what 🙂

Try our 14 Day Jump Start program, and we’ll teach you how to swing a kettlebell safely and effectively – and get some serious fat loss results.

You’ll get:

– 3 workouts per week – 6 total over 14 days – at one of our studio locations (1530 X Street OR 7485 Rush River Drive)
– Our 14 Day Rapid Shred meal plan – tells you exactly how, what, and when to eat for maximu results
– Body comp (weight, body fat) and the beginning and end of the 14 days (many new clients lose 3 to 5 pounds and jump start their results!)

Click the link below and sumbit your application now to apply:

https://www.forestvancetraining.com/14daytestdrive

Who knows, you might get hooked! 🙂

– Forest and the FVT Team

We are looking for three to four folks for this special 6 week in-studio strength program

We are looking for three to four folks to join us for this special in-studio Holiday strength program.

You’ll be working with us twice per week for six weeks.

You’ll learn how to squat, bench press, and deadlift, safely and effectively.

You’ll get a great start on building a strength foundation for 2019.

And you’ll experience our unique programming approach to combining barbells with kettlebell and bodyweight – based conditioning work.

Inquire at the link below – just put “HOLIDAY GAINZ” in the subject line, and I’ll get back to you with all the details:

https://www.forestvancetraining.com/contact

Look forward to hearing from you!

– Forest Vance
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training

New Back Squat Technique Vid + In-Studio 6 Week Holiday GAINZ Program

For the last 24 years – since the age of 14, when I first lifted a barbell in Freshman P.E. class – the back squat has been a staple of my programming.

For straight-up gaining muscle in your entire body, it’s hard to beat.

It was a big way I was able to go from about 160 pounds as a High School Freshman, to about 310 pounds during my short stint in the NFL. (In case you’re wondering, I was about the same height during this 10 year period. I only grew about 1.5″ in that time frame.)

It was also a huge part of how my personal training client Riley was recently able to gain nearly 40 pounds of muscle in 13 months.

HOWEVER – doing the movement safely and effectively, is KEY to making it work for you, and staying injury-free.

So is programming it correctly, progressing it the right way, and having it fit into your overall training plan.

First, check out today’s video for the basics on how to do the move:

Then, inquire about our upcoming in-studio 6 Week Holiday GAINZ program.

We are looking for three to four folks for this special Holiday strength series.

You’ll be working with us twice per week for six weeks. You’ll learn how to squat, bench press, and deadlift, safely and effectively. You’ll get a great start on building a strength foundation for 2019. And you’ll experience our unique programming approach to COMBINING barbells with kettlebell and bodyweight – based conditioning work.

Inquire at the link below – just put “HOLIDAY GAINZ” in the subject line, and I’ll get back to you with all the details:

https://www.forestvancetraining.com/contact

And hope today’s video helped with your back squat technique!

– Forest Vance
Owner, FVT Boot Camp and Personal Training

Boot Camp / Personal Training Gift Certificates

A gift certificate for boot camp or personal training is an AWESOME way to help your friend, family member or co-worker get a head start on their health and fitness goals!

And we now have them available for the 2018 Holiday season at FVT.

Whether you’re looking to give a few personal training sessions, a month or two of boot camp workouts, or any other amount or combination of our training services, we can make it happen!

Simply contact us HERE, or give us a call at 916.273.9366, and we’ll help you put together the perfect gift!

Happy Holidays –

– Forest and the FVT Team

your “Zero Pound” Holiday game plan

Well – the Holidays are officially HERE.

Your top priorities likely are – and SHOULD be – things like family, friends, giving thanks, giving back, spreading joy and good cheer …

… but let’s not totally forget about your health.

Because – and I say this from personal experience! – it’s SO easy to let the meals, the gatherings, the weather, the parties, and the travel get the best of you … basically stop working out all together … eating WAY more than normal … and putting on 5 or 10 pounds before the end of the year.

So, how about we focus on keeping a reasonable number of workouts going, watching the diet, and keeping our activity levels up – so that we don’t gain a pound, and maybe even LOSE a few this Holiday season?

Here is what we are doing in our 21 Day Holiday Shred Challenge – I recommend that you do this too:

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your “Zero Pound” Holiday game plan

Guideline 1 = Keep your diet in check

In the 21 Day Holiday Shred, we give you a meal plan to follow.

You CAN enjoy – but keep it in moderation, so that it fits with the overall plan.

Guideline 2 = Log your food, using MyFitnessPal, or just write it down.

This alone – just keeping track – will really help you to not stray too far off target.

Guideline 3 = Drink at least 64 oz of water per day

This will keep you hydrated and your body working and feeling great.

Guideline 4 = Exercise for at least 30 minutes, 5 days per week

If you can keep this baseline of activity going, you can really help with keeping the pounds off over the Holidays.

Guideline 5 = before you leave the house each day, do a 5 minute stretch sequence

Again – we give you the specific sequence in the Challenge – but this can really help to get your body moving and get you feeling great and ready to move all day.

Guideline 6 = sleep 6-8 hours per night

If you make this a priority, you’ll have energy to do everything you want to do, and also have time and energy for your fitness program.

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This “Zero Pound” Holiday game plan should help you stay on track during the Holiday season.

Remember – you can enjoy your family and friends and giving and all the things that make the Holiday season great, AND keep your fitness intact, at the same time!

To your success –

– Forest Vance
ForestVanceTraining.com

PS – Join us for the 21 Day Holiday Shred Challenge – we start on Monday:

21 Day Holiday Shred Challenge